We Are It!

I just received a text message a little while ago. It said, "I love you." I replied back, "I needed that, I love you too." That text lifted my spirits and made me smile. I was thinking on this and God brought this to my remembrance…………..WE ARE ALL HE HAS TO WORK WITH on this earth. He uses us to bless each other. He wants to flow freely and touch lives. He can only do that through His children, me and you. If something comes to your mind today and it will be a blessing to someone, DO IT. It doesn't matter how small you may think it is; it could be HUGE to them.

Caution – Dead Animal Pic

Yeah, my man shot us a deer with his bow and arrow.

  

We do eat venison on a regular basis.  I have to admit I only eat it if it has been ground up for chili, spaghetti, lasagne, tacos, etc.  Tom likes to “chicken fry” his.  He usually does this for himself when I am out with friends.  ‘Cause he loves me. :)

It has been easier this year; Tom hunting without Peyton.  Of course it is not the same.  Tom got great joy teaching Peyton how to hunt and spending time together in the woods.  No matter what the situation, our focus on the positive is imperative to joyful living.

Hope the picture didn’t gross you out too much.

Cool Weather Cooking

Fall weather brings out the cook in me. Bread making is something I really enjoy. The process of kneading and letting it rise, kneading some more and letting it rise again brings you to the baking in the oven with your house smelling oh so good.

I took some pictures so I could share with you, not the cinnamon rolls, the pictures.

This wooden bread bowl was my grandma’s. I don’t think she made yeast bread in it, but she did make “cat head” biscuits.

This is after the first rising. Fixin to roll ‘em out!

Rolled out and spread with butter then cinnamon and sugar sprinkled all over.

This is my new kitchen gadget, a cutter/scraper very handy for cutting cinnamon rolls.

Ready for the second rising. Can you see the swirls of cinnamony goodness?

Baked and iced, ready to eat. They did turn out really good. I hadn’t made cinnamon rolls in awhile. My husband appreciated them and we ate the whole pan just enough.

Me Shopping?

Last night I went shopping with a friend. She is a friend of Peyton’s and now she is a friend of mine. She is in the Miss Alma High School pageant next weekend.

For the record, I am not a shopper. We were looking for casual/sportswear for the pageant. She tried on a lot of stuff. We even asked for help from the salesclerk, something I never do. She was VERY helpful and was quite an accessorizer. (my spell check is telling me that is not a word, but I’m using it) The MALL WAS CLOSING WHEN WE LEFT. I have never closed the mall and don’t plan on doing it again. It was fun and tiring, but we got the job done. She is going to look very casual/sporty next weekend when she walks across the stage.

Peyton & I didn’t shop much, but I enjoyed buying him stuff. Smell is a powerful memory trigger and the mall is full of them. The colognes that waft out of some of the stores are very recognizable and took me back to easier times shopping with my boy.

Staying in the moment is key. Focusing on the present, finding things to look forward to (like a pageant) are what keep me from looking back thinking about what I do not have. I had a couple of hard moments, but not a tear was shed.

Thank you Lord for the blessings in the present and in my future. Thank you Lord that I can see the blessings You surround me with everyday.

I’m sure there are no malls in Heaven.

Not My Will, but Your Will

I was reading another blog a few minutes ago and it reminded me of something I thought about in church.  During Praise & Worship, there was a song about praising around the throne.  It made me think that Peyton could be doing that very thing.  Heaven is so real to me and it seemed very close at that moment.

My mind is on the eternal, not just about Peyton but EVERYTHING that is permanent and forever.  The people that are coming to know Jesus, every time we speak the Word of God to someone, every time we lay aside our will and do the will of our Father, these things are eternal.  It was also said in church today, “not my will, but Your will”; that is where I am.   Thank you Lord, because that is what it is going to take to get the job done.  When Pastor was preaching, I wanted to stand up and tell everyone we had to get busy because it has been so long since I have seen my son and I am ready.  I know it is not about me, but it makes me KNOW my real home is Heaven.    

The Harvest is ready, will you go?

Burke

Our high school football team had a great night last night. Burke is the quarterback and made 3 touchdowns. We are so proud of him. The PJ & MM stickers are for Peyton & another boy who had gone to Heaven the week before Peyton. Most of the football team had them on their helmets last year.

He and Peyton have been friends since the 1st grade. He has spent lots of hours at our house over the years and we love him like our own.

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Burke was at the house quite a bit anyway, but after Peyton’s accident he came up probably 3 nights a week. He & Tom went hunting, fishing etc. I know it helped both of them and I liked having a hungry teenager around to cook for.

The kids and our community have amazed me. Tom and I have never felt alone as far as being the only ones missing Peyton. We talk about him freely and with smiles and laughter. We have helped each other heal and it has been a huge blessing.

We love Burke like a son. He is fast becoming a man and we are proud to call him our friend.

I hope to have more positive reports about our football team this season!!

The British Are Coming!

I've taken notice of some new words. I've heard them a few times (read them in some blogs) and I may start using them. I thought they were made up, but I "Googled" them and found out they are legitimate words. They are British slang. Here they are; expand your vocabulary.

Won-ky [wong-kee] – adjective, -ki-er, -ki-est

1. a. shaky, groggy or unsteady
   

   b. unreliable; not trustworthy
   

2. slang. Stupid; boring; unattractive
   
   
   

Snark-y [snar'ke] – adjective, -snark-i-er; snark-i-est

1. Rudely sarcastic or disrespectful; snide
   
2. Irritable or short tempered; irascible
   

Of course, I would never be "wonky" or "snarky", but you never know.